North Korea Stole $3 Billion in Crypto Since 2017 to Fund Weapons Programs
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North Korean state-backed hackers have stolen an estimated $3 billion in cryptocurrency since 2017, accounting for 44% of all stolen crypto last year.
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Attacks have targeted cryptocurrency exchanges, individual crypto users, and venture capital firms to fund North Korea's weapons programs.
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In 2022 alone, North Korea stole between $630 million and $1 billion in crypto, doubling their cyber theft profits.
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Big heists include thefts from Harmony, Nomad, Qubit Finance, Ronin Network, Atomic Wallet, AlphaPo, and CoinsPaid.
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U.S. Treasury has sanctioned North Korean hacking groups like Kimsuky and Lazarus as well as crypto mixers used to launder stolen funds.